Toronto Raptors

I’ll admit, that I’m addicted to the NFL and college football. When it comes to the basketball and the NBA, those same addictions apply to them also. Like always, the NBA offseason was amazing with several big names signing new deals. The biggest acquisition saw LeBron James head west to the Los Angeles Lakers. There’s drama within the Minnesota Timberwolves organization after Jimmy Butler demanded a trade. Speaking of Minnesota, they showed their allegiance to Karl Anthony-Towns by giving him the super max. Carmelo Anthony was trade d to Atlanta, released and signed with the Houston Rockets. Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan switched teams and Devin Booker signed a huge deal to stay in Phoenix. In a surprising move, DeMarcus Cousins joined the Golden State Warriors on a one-year deal. Paul George, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant remained with their teams with Durant only signing a one-year deal.

With all that happening, we’re expecting another exciting season around the league. Despite it’s the beginning of the 2018 season, free agency for next season has already been talked about. Before we talk about the 2019 season, let’s get this one out of the way first. If healthy, we’ll see who the top 8 teams from each conference should be.

Boston Celtics

Last season, the Celtics dealt with a major blow when Gordon Heyward went down for the season. Kyrie Irving went down later in the year and the Celtics were without him throughout the playoffs. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier step their games up big time. The Boston Celtics enter the season as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference and could possibly challenge the Warriors if they meet. There will be talk about the future of Kyrie Irving because there’s been numerous rumors of him leaving. Either way, Boston should finish atop of the East and they should make the NBA Finals.

Toronto Raptors

People tend to forget how great of a season the Toronto Raptors had last year. For me, they upgraded when they traded for Kawhi Leonard and shipped DeMar DeRozan. If Kawhi Leonard can remain healthy and be the player he was in San Antonio, they could easily challenge Boston for the top spot. Another factor in the success of the Raptors is how they react to their new coach, Nick Nurse. After a very successful stint as Head Coach, Dwane Casey was fired despite being the coach of the year. With the great, young talent to go with the veterans, they’re poised for another great season.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers will be my 3rd ranked team in the Eastern Conference. They will contend for the top two spots, but I’m comfortable with them being in the three spot. If healthy, Joell Embiid and Ben Simmons could be contenders for league MVP. Markelle Fultz will be a huge factor in their success this season. The 76ers are hoping to capitalize on their great run from a year ago where they reached the Conference Semifinals. Will the 76ers remain healthy this season? Could they challenge the Raptors and Celtics for the top spot?

Milwaukee Bucks

Everything with the Milwaukee Bucks success revolves around the Greek Freak. Last season, he got off to a great start as the Bucks looed amazing. As the season went on, defenses were able to frustrate him to making bad decisions. Coming into this season, the Greek Freak has stated he’s been working on his 3-point shooting. If Giannis is able to hit the 3-pointer consistently, this will be trouble for the Eastern Conference and the league. Giannis will be an MVP candidate and if he can carry the Bucks like we know he can, they could finish as high as 2nd in the East. Milwaukee will be without Jabari Parker, who left via free agency and went to Chicago. Will Milwaukee benefit from LeBron heading out west?

Washington Wizards

I’ve been a fan of the Washington Wizards for years now. John Wall and Bradley Beal still remain one of the top backcourts in the league. After having a great season in Charlotte last year, Dwight Howard signed with the Wizards. Dwight Howard is dealing with back issues, which could hamper him throughout the season. Throughout the years, the Washington Wizards underachieved and sooner or later, they have to finally step up to be the team many thought they should be. LeBron James have been a thorn in their side for years and they could benefit from his move to Los Angeles. Can the Wizards finally make that move in the Eastern Conference?

Indiana Pacers

If you want to talk about surprise teams from last year, the Indiana Pacers will be on top of that list. Victor Oladipo was one of the biggest surprises of the league last year and came really close to eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers. Indiana invested in their future by inking Myles Turner to a $72 million extension over the next four years. If Indiana can play like they did a year ago, they could finish in the top-4 of the Eastern Conference. With Victor Oladipo not being under the radar this season, can the Pacers continue to improve?

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons will have Blake Griffin for the entire season this year. Andre Drummond is a double-double machine and it seems like he’s been working on his handles and shooting. They made a good signing by bringing in veteran Jose Calderon. In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons is one of my sleeper teams. Reggie Jackson plays with a chip on his shoulder and the Pistons starting five could be great, if healthy. Detroit could be a very good squad and they should make the playoffs this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland will be without LeBron James as he’s off to Los Angeles and a 4-year deal. Kevin Love inked an extension to remain with the Cavaliers for the foreseeable future. Tristian Thompson have stated that the East still run through them. Larry Nance Jr. just signed a 4-year extension to remain with the Cavaliers. Cleveland drafted Collin Sexton, whom could be the best point guard coming out of the draft. Jordan Clarkson need to improve, Sam Dekker was a fantastic addition and Rodney Hood should have a good season. With the Cavs make the playoffs? Will they overachieve and finish higher than 8th?

The Chicago Bulls could be a sleeper team in the Eastern Conference. Also, the Miami Heat could be a sleeper team and think they could finish as high as 6th. How do you think the Eastern Conference will turn out? Leave a comment below about my predictions.

Yesterday, I shared my thoughts about the Kawhi Leonard part of the trade to the Toronto Raptors. Today, let’s look at the other piece to the enormous trade as DeMar DeRozan was shipped to San Antonio. You can place DeMar DeRozan alongside Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh as the greatest Raptors ever. When many people thought he would head to his home, Los Angeles during free agency, he remained loyal to the Raptors by signing an extension. Despite having the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, Toronto still couldn’t get past Lebron James. They were swept out of the 2nd round and DeRozan was watching from the sidelines. We all knew that changes were to be made in Toronto and it happened when they let go of Dwane Casey. He was the NBA Coach of the Year and more changes came.

How It Affects San Antonio

Honestly, I feel bad for DeRozan with his new situation. The San Antonio Spurs has been a class act in the league for well over two decades and he will play for one of the best coaches in the league. The big problem is that he’s headed to the Western Conference. Guess who else just went to the Western Conference? Unless you’ve been in hiding for the past few weeks, you know that Lebron decided to take his talents to the Lake Show. For DeRozan, that’s probably the least of his worries as he continues to chase down a championship. The Golden State Warriors, you know winners of three of the last four titles added another All-Star in DeMarcus Cousins. San Antonio lost Tony Parker to Charlotte and Kyle Anderson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spurs still have talent, but are they one of the better teams in the West?

How Does It Effects the Western Conference?

For the last decade and a half, the Western Conference has been by far the superior conference. This year is no exception and you can argue that they’re going to be a lot tougher also. Golden State, Houston, Oklahoma City, Portland, Utah, New Orleans, Denver and Minnesota will still be good teams. The Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns have all improved. My question now is, will the San Antonio Spurs even make the playoffs? We could easily slide the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz out of the picture and add the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets into this year’s playoffs. We all know that it will be unpredictable because no one saw the emergence of Utah last year. We can even say that no one saw how well the Pelicans played without Cousins.

How Will DeMar DeRozan Do?

DeMar DeRozan was considered one of the top MVP candidates at one point last year. He’s still one of the best two guards in the league, but that Western Conference is tough. Having LaMarcus Aldridge will be good for him if he’s motivated. DeRozan will have to work a little harder on the defensive end, but I think he can make that transaction. The San Antonio Spurs will have another great season and think they will reach the playoffs. If anything, he’ll play with a chip on his shoulder and be angry throughout the year. DeRozan will lead the Spurs in scoring at around 23 to 25 points a game.

Long Term Future with San Antonio

DeRozan’s contract runs through 2020 with a player option for the 2020-21 season, so this gives the Spurs a two-or-three-year window in which to build around DeRozan and Aldridge while developing Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker. If the development of those players pays off for the Spurs, I don’t see why he wouldn’t sign an extension with the Spurs. The big question is, how long will Coach Pop stay with the Spurs? With his wife’s untimely passing, we don’t know what the future holds for Popovich. In re-signing Rudy Gay and signing Marco Belinelli this summer, San Antonio hinted that it would be trying to remain competitive, with LaMarcus Aldridge under contract until 2021.

What do you expect from DeMar DeRozan in San Antonio? Will the Spurs make the playoffs next year? Will DeRozan hang with the Spurs long term? Leave a comment below about DeMar DeRozan and his move to San Antonio.

We all know the big news in the NBA now as Kawhi Leonard was finally traded from San Antonio. Before the rumors, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston were said to be the top destinations for Kawhi Leonard. Two days prior to the trade, the rumors ran rampant about Toronto being the favored to land Kawhi Leonard. DeMar DeRozan was traded to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard, which included a few other pieces, but those are the main names. With this, we’ll focus on the move to Toronto for Kawhi Leonard, the Eastern Conference, Toronto and the entire NBA. Before injury, we can argue that Kawhi Leonard is probably the2nd or 3rd best player in the league. Lebron James is by far the best and we can include Kevin Durant, but Kawhi Leonard can change the course of the game.

How It Affects Toronto

Toronto has made some significant moves during the offseason. After having the best record in the Eastern Conference last year, they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2nd round. First, they fired the Coach of the Year in Dwayne Casey. By trading one of the franchises greatest players, they get another great. With Kawhi Leonard, they get a player that can score just like DeRozan. The difference Kawhi Leonard makes is on the defensive end as he’s one of the best in the league. With all the young pieces that the Raptors have and still having All-Star point guard, Kyle Lowry Toronto will be one of the favorites. Boston and Philadelphia will also be the frontrunners in the East, but Indiana, Milwaukee, Washington and possibly the Bulls could have great seasons. Having Kawhi Leonard in the Eastern Conference is a game changer and could be huge for Toronto.

How It Effects the Eastern Conference

The West will be as tough as ever, but the Eastern Conference has its share of great teams. As mentioned above, Boston and Philadelphia will most likely be the favorites. If Boston can have a healthy Gordon Heyward and Kyrie Irving, they could have an historic season. Philadelphia will be a year advanced into their development and could make a huge leap. Toronto was the best team last year and they could very well be back in that position this year. If I had the predict, I’m thinking they’ll finish with the second best record this season behind the Celtics. If Kawhi comes back healthy and plays the entire season, he’ll be in the running for league MVP.

How Will Kawhi Leonard Do?

All of these predictions are with the thinking that Leonard comes back at 100%. Kawhi Leonard was a beast in the crowded Western Conference, he’ll be even better in the Eastern Conference. Will the Toronto Raptors repeat their 59-win performance from last year? It’s a possibility, but I don’t think it’s likely as some teams have improved in the East. Will they be a better team? When they start to gel together, they could be a better team and I believe they’ll be in the Eastern Conference Finals this year.

Will He Stay in Toronto After This Year?

There have been so many rumors about his future and even more after the trade. One said he wouldn’t report, but that has been proven to be false because he’s in Toronto now. If Toronto were to have a great season as many predict, he’ll stay with the Raptors long term. With the Raptors, they are building an excellent brand up there and have some young pieces to build with. With the dismissal of Casey and trading DeRozan, it could sway his decision not to stay with the team. You have to remember, this is a business and how long will Kyle Lowry will be playing at an All-Star level? Either way, I think Kawhi Leonard will love playing in the East either way.

What do you think about the trade of Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors? Do you think it’s a good trade for Toronto? How well do you think Kawhi and Toronto will do next year? Leave a comment below.